I bought this game when it first came out in the year 2008. It cost 19.90 USD then, and I got it at full price (there wasn't so much discounts on steam back then). Was I skeptical? Yes, I was. I was skeptical because the concept of this game seems simplistic. Of course, this game has convinced me after a while that I have made the correct investment by paying for it at full price.

What this game appears to be is that it converts sound files (music files such as .mp3 ones) into a linear ongoing track of some sort. You get to control a small little car-like vehicle, though the only movement you can perform are sideways. The speed of your little car-like thingy is determined by the pace of your music, which is represented by the colour of the track you are riding on. I won't go into detail on the blocks and game play, but that's basically it.

In short, this game lets you ride the music.

And yes, you can ride on almost any musical file you've loaded into the game, and this is what make this game great and worthwhile.

There is one particular game mode which I like - mono. It's basically a no-brainer where you simply hit the colour blocks and avoid the grey blocks as you move forward along the track. It's a splendid mode to relax yourself with, especially after a day of tiring work when all you want is some of your favourite music and soothing gameplay.

I got it at 2008, and it's 2014 now. Years passed, and many parts of my life have changed. Still, what remained the same is that, after all these years, I will still give new music a run or two here, in audiosurf.

Oh and did I mention that I am still getting e-mails from audiosurf's scoreboard saying that I have been dethroned? Yeah, it's nice to see these e-mails amidst all those work mails and all.

Audiosurf is a very, very unique game and is definitely a landmark in the music/rhythm game genre. Unlike other rhythm games, which limit you to specific in-game songs, Audiosurf is limitless - it allows you to play any - that's right, any - MP3 of your choice, so you can suit your gameplay to your own music tastes. This freedom is rarely found, if at all, in music games, and it has set the stage for other music games in the vein of it, such as Beat Hazard and the more recent Melody's Escape. In my opinion, Audiosurf has infinite replay value, as long as you have a large amount of songs to play.

Basically, Audiosurf is a game where you can "ride" your music to a track that moves and flows in sync with the song, as you hit blocks along the way. It’s sort of an amalgamation of F-Zero’s gameplay and Rock Band’s note charts (albeit less precise). Each MP3 has leaderboards, and for songs that haven't been played in the game yet, you have the opportunity to make the first play on a song and create the leaderboards for it yourself. Of course, this isn't the case with more popular songs that many people have played. Leaderboards also have a comments section, where you can (obviously) comment on a song. A neat aspect of leaderboards (and probably my favorite) is that if you get dethroned from the global leaderboards on a song, you’ll receive an e-mail by default, though you can turn it off if you’d prefer. You’ll also get an e-mail if an Audiosurf friend beats your score on a song, regardless of whether you have the throne on it or not.

There's also several ways you can play Audiosurf: just for fun or for competition. Audiosurf has a variety of different characters that are well-suited for both beginners and the more advanced players, amongst three difficulties - casual, pro, and elite. For example, Mono is the easiest (but also lowest-scoring) character, with a simple strategy - hit the colored blocks and avoid the greys. Then, there are the trickier (but higher-scoring) characters along the way, such as Eraser (my most-played character), which allows you to erase blocks and undo erases to create organized matches, and Pointman, which allows you to scoop up blocks and place them in different spots. It is highly recommended that beginners start with Mono, though, as I have had friends try the more complex characters from the get-go and it did not go very well for them.

However, I’m not going to go as far to say the game is for everyone, as people have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to video games. Aside from the fact that you obviously have to like some sort of music, quick thinking, reflexes, and sense of rhythm play a big part as well. Also, if you are one of those people that tire out of songs easily (like myself), you shouldn’t have a problem for the most part in Audiosurf, but if you play for competition and someone dethrones you on a song you like, you may end up playing the song repeatedly to get a good-enough run to reclaim the throne. It’s happened to me a time too many :P

All in all, if you’re a music lover and want a new visualization experience to go along with your music, Audiosurf might be for you. Be warned, though - it’s very addicting if you have a large library of music.

Oh AudioSurf.Good ol' AudioSurf.We've been through a lot.You were right there when I first got my Steam account.One of the first Steam games I ever bought.We spent so much time together.Now you're lost in a sea of backlog.Drifting from being installed and uninstalled.You're always there for me.Ready to entertain me, even just for a little while.I love you AudioSurf.Never change.

Great game for anyone who likes puzzle games and/or music, and if you like competition there is even global scoreboards for every song and you can compete for the high score! Different difficultys for all skill levels and over a dozen different modes to choose from.

You ride your music, great game to chill out to without getting annoyed. There's plenty of competition to this game if you want to play that way, but this game is mainly great for its use of your music, all music works and all music is generated well.

So now the standard game rating:

Story: X/10 (No story, no story needed.)

Gameplay: 10/10 (Plenty of options on how you want to ride your music.)

Presentation: 10/10 (Game looks and feels great.)

Soundtrack: 11/10 (Your music > any in game soundtrack)

Replayability: 10/10 (Come back whenever you want to twiddle your fingers and listen to music.)